Effects of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Education Program for Children and Adolescents on the Adaptation of First-Year Students to Junior High School:

Abstract

The present study measured shifts in school-life motivation and subjective feelings of acceptance in students in the first year of junior high school (seventh graders), based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Education Program for Children and Adolescents. The program was administered by the students ＇ homeroom teachers in 4 sessions during May and June. In the program, students were taught (a) to categorize daily experiences into situa-tions, emotions, thoughts, and behavior, (b) that emotions are influenced by thoughts, and (c) how to accept and cope with anger. Before and after participation in the program, the students completed the Questionnaire-Utilities (Q-U), a self-administered questionnaire about adaptation to school life. Students ＇ test scores were compared with scores of students from another school in the same region that did not implement the program. The results suggested that the school-life motivation scores of students who had completed the program increased, whereas the scores of students who did not participate in the program decreased. The results for the measures of sources of motivation, and the scores on changes in teacher and classmate relationships were consistent with the total-score results. Evaluation of students ＇ satisfaction showed that the scores on subjective feelings of acceptance of students who had completed the program remained constant, whereas the acceptance scores of students who did not participate in the program decreased. The discussion concluded that completion of this cognitive behavioral therapy program showed potential for maintaining or strengthening school-life motivation in seventh graders.